


Secrets

by Ottermouse



Series: Sheith Week 2016 [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sheith Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 16:02:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8378551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ottermouse/pseuds/Ottermouse
Summary: Shiro is under emotional strain and Keith goes to support him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 4 of Sheith Week: Flashback  
> Thank you lordzuuko for beta-ing~

****Keith couldn’t wait any longer.

It had been over five hours since the Paladins had returned from a disaster of a mission. Shiro had lost control of his lion and they’d been forced to make a premature retreat. The black paladin had shut himself away in his room since arriving back to the castle, and while Keith had told himself he’d give their leader time and space, his patience had run thin.

“Shiro!” The red paladin knocked hard on the other’s bedroom door. “Shiro, open up, it’s Keith!”

He tapped his foot rapidly on the floor and he pressed his ear to the door to see if he could hear anything from the other side. Hearing nothing, he raised his fist and pounded on the door even harder.

“Shiro, I know you’re in there, please, I–” Keith rested his arm and forehead on the door. “I just want to know how you’re doing.”

The sound of soft footsteps came from the other side, and Keith quickly straightened himself.

The Shiro that opened the door had changed out of his paladin uniform and into a loose fitting top and pants. He was red around the eyes and on his nose. His posture was sunken and he looked like he was about to cave in on himself.

“Can I come in?” Keith asked gingerly, suddenly wondering if this had been a good idea.

Shiro simply stepped back and let the other inside.

The room was still mostly bare. They didn’t arrive with much and they typically didn’t have a lot of free time to be doing any interior design.

Shiro climbed into the corner of his bed, where a deep nest of blankets had been built up.

 _He must’ve been there this whole time._ Keith thought.

Shiro lifted the pile of cloth he was under and offered the space to Keith, who crawled in and leaned against his leader’s side. Shiro placed the blankets over Keith. They sat in silence, Shiro staring down, knees drawn up to his chest, and Keith was doing the same, trying to think of something to say.

The red paladin looked at Shiro. He appeared so tired and drained. Like the planet they visited had sucked the life out of him. Keith searched under the blanket for Shiro’s hand and held it tight.

“What happened out there?” he asked as softly as he could manage.

Shiro hung his head and squeezed Keith’s hand impossibly tight. “I… I remembered.” His voice cracked and it made the other flinch. It was rare to see Shiro be so openly vulnerable.

Keith pressed himself even closer. “What... _exactly_ did you remember?” He gently stroked the back of Shiro’s hand with his thumb.

“When… When I became Champion,” the black paladin shivered. “They made me, I had to–”

He choked out a sob, and Keith impulsively brought up his free hand and cupped Shiro’s cheek, pulling his face so they made eye contact. His eyes were shiny as he did his best to hold back tears.

“I _hurt_ them. So many of them,” Shiro whispered, horrified. “I became Champion and they made me– Some of them could barely even stand, how could I? How could I have fought them? And Pidge’s brother, I–”

Shiro lost control. Tears began to stream down his face, he was shaking uncontrollably, taking in gasping breaths as he struggled for air.

Keith moved his hand down to Shiro’s neck. He pulled them closer together, letting Shiro rest his face on his shoulder. The black paladin clutched Keith’s shirt tightly in a fist.

“How could I…” He weakly pounded Keith’s chest. “How could I have forgotten? How could I have let myself do that to all those innocent prisoners?”

Keith wrung his hand free from Shiro’s, bringing it around so he could pull the older male into a deep hug. He had one arm wrapped around his back and the other curled up into his hair.

“You did what you had to to survive,” he reassured. “And you came back and are doing everything in your power to help save the universe. You _feel_ regret and remorse about what you did, and I think that says more about you than anything else.” Keith began to pet Shiro’s hair to try to help him calm down.

“I can’t–” Shiro hiccupped. “I can’t let anyone else know.”

Keith tenderly pushed Shiro away enough so that they could look at each other once more.

“Do you have that little faith in us?” he asked, brushing Shiro’s cowlick out of his eyes. “We’re your friends, and we love you. We’re team Voltron, we’ve been through so much together.” Keith gave a small smile.

“And believe me when I say that everyone would appreciate it if they heard it from you and not Zarkon.”

Shiro wiped his eyes using the back of his hand. His tears had stopped and were now drying in streaks down his face. “How can you trust me so much?”

“I’ve known you for longer than anyone else here. And I have seen the true you. Whoever you were as Champion was not the true you and I don’t want you to blame yourself for what happened there. You were a prisoner and experimented on and manipulated by terrible, terrible people. But that doesn’t make you one of them.” Keith took the hem of his shirt and brought it up to wipe the remaining tear stains off Shiro’s cheeks.

“But what if I’m not the person you knew anymore? I could be under Galra control right now. I could be a sleeper agent whose mission is to steal all the Lions.”

“If you are, then I’ll do everything I can to beat the fuck out of Zarkon and bring you back.”

“But– but why?”

Keith took in a deep breath and leaned forward, kissing the corners of Shiro’s eyes. He brought his hands up again to cup his cheeks.

“Because I love you.”

Their lips met in the most pure, innocent fashion.

Keith pulled back and combed his fingers through Shiro’s hair, gently patting it, kind smile across his face.

Shiro placed one of his hands over Keith’s . “Please don’t leave,” he begged quietly.

“I’ll stay as long as you want me to,” Keith replied softly, before the older boy leaned up and kissed him once more.

“Let’s lay down, okay?” Shiro nodded, and the two shuffled on the bed and rearranged the blankets. The red paladin laid on his back, Shiro’s head on his chest, breathing in the familiar, comforting scent of each other. Keith held him close, softly nuzzling his head.

The motion detecting lights turned off, and the two drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

 


End file.
